Abstract
Purpose: :
Experimental primary intraocular lymphoma (PIOL) is an aggressive tumor which induces a progressive infiltration of the vitreous and the retina, and leads to the development of exophthalmos at a late stage in mice. We developed an image-based clinical grading system using Topical Endoscopy Fundus Imaging (TEFI) to evaluate the severity of retino-vitreous damage and for monitoring therapeutic effects in our PIOL mouse model.
Methods: :
Fundus images were performed daily from C3H/HeN mice previously inoculated with murine lymphoma B-cells to characterize the natural history of PIOL. Retino-vitreous involvement was scored depending of its severity : 0 (normal fundus), 1 (mild infiltration), 2 (moderate infiltration) or 3 (severe infiltration). The validity and reproductibility of this grading system were tested using a set of 18 fundus images, scored independently in a masked manner by 5 individuals. Correlation between the score of each observer was analyzed using Spearman rank correlation coefficient.
Results: :
Spearman rank correlation coefficient was high (mean and median rank at 0,946 and 0,945 respectively). Differences in the grading score (7 differences over 90 answers given on the whole) didn’t exceed 1 level, indicating that this classification is robust and reliable. This kind of observation is suitable for an objective clinical grading of vitreous and retinal inflammation, and improves the follow-up of therapeutic effects.
Conclusions: :
We offer a reliable image-based grading system for a semi-quantitative evaluation of vitreous and retinal involvement in our PIOL mouse model, allowing better and more objective clinical observation compared with the inspection of exophthalmos alone.
Keywords: oncology • imaging/image analysis: non-clinical • vitreous